“Gadgets” collection
Explore a curated selection of personal technology and innovative gadgets designed to improve daily productivity and entertainment. This collection features detailed evaluations of portable electronics, charging solutions, and versatile tools that provide genuine real-world utility.
HTD Tech Briefs
View all →November 10, 2010
Zap Those Nasty Germs from your Cell Phone with the Violight UV Cell Phone Sanitizer
If you are a germaphobe, you probably wipe down your cell phone many times a day with some sort of sanitizing wipe. If you aren't doing that, your cell phone or MP3 player is probably covered with lots of wonderful, potentially infectious germs. Having 3 kids in school, germs are pervasive on all types of surfaces around our house. When…
Read more →November 9, 2010
Apple TV – Uniting Ideas, Technology, Media and Gadgets
I think that I understand Steve Jobs' vision of a unified multimedia experience. Apple has been steadily forging ahead creating devices and operating systems that interconnect and work to create a rich, interactive environments. The Apple TV 2 is no different, making the big screen TV the convergence of many connected devices like computers running iTunes, the iPhone, the iPod…
Read more →November 4, 2010
A Tradeshow or On-The-Go Savior – Mophie Juice Pack Air for iPhone 4 Battery Case
I am writing this review on day three of an expo. One of the biggest issues with going to any type of a trade show or traveling or simply being active on your iPhone is that of not having access to a power supply. As I write this, I'm sitting in the back of a darkened room, with my chair…
Read more →October 27, 2010
The Next Generation of Home Alarm Systems – Alarm.com & APX Alarms
When you first move into a house, one thing that you should first consider is a home alarm system. Often, various companies will have special deals for new homeowners and you should definitely consider having one installed if you have the opportunity. Typically, the "special" you will get is for a base system and then some additional monitoring points like…
Read more →October 25, 2010
Get Beyond those Home Video Style Webcams & Move to HD with the Microsoft LifeCam HD Cinema
Let's face it, when you buy a laptop, you don't usually think about the built-in webcam. But if you look at many of the laptops out there, you will see that the built-in webcams are dramatically underpowered and are pretty much like using a really old camcorder to do video calls or webcam-related actions. Many netbooks, for example, come with…
Read more →October 20, 2010
Ok, I Bought A New Car, Now What? But First, A Little More About The Buying Process
A few weeks ago our 2001 Honda Odyssey died. The transmission on our 10 year old family shuttle that had "only" 130,000 miles conked out, for the second time. It had served us really well until the last year or so, and then it had developed an expensive habit of relentlessly having to visit the repair shop every few months.…
Read more →October 19, 2010
Calculating Speeds of Objects On The Go with Pocket Radar
A few months ago I received a really cool and pretty useful gadget. About the size of a cell phone or a compact camera, the Pocket Radar is a nice gadget to throw in your bag, especially if your kids are in sports, or learning about physics. The Pocket Radar allows you to quickly and easily determine the speed of…
Read more →October 5, 2010
Make Your iPhone 4 Suck Power Longer with the Exolife Battery Case
My iPhone sucks! Well, it doesn't actually suck in general, it sucks power like a sponge does water. Of course, I have practically every service running (e.g., location, push notifications, etc.) as well as 9 email accounts (a few of those with set to Push delivery), all fetching data every 15 minutes. I surf the web, check Twitter, read my…
Read more →September 23, 2010
Blazing New Trails with the TomTom XL 340S GPS
Earlier this summer, my family and I headed out on a week long family vacation up to a Dude Ranch in Northern California. As part of the trip, we had a new traveler with us, someone who would guide us on our way, let us know when we were going to arrive and provide a source of tech for the…
Read more →September 22, 2010
What Does “Silent But Deadly” Refer to in the Latest “Cast of Dads” Podcast #31?
We are still trying to get back into the regular scheduling of our "Cast of Dads" podcast. It's definitely hard to schedule 5 busy dads who are juggling family and work and play times (what's that?). But we did have our weekly virtual convention over the phone and managed to bang out another great episode titled "Silent But Deadly". Note:…
Read more →September 17, 2010
Hey Brands & PR Agencies – Dads are Different than Moms!
When I started blogging about 5 years ago, I had no idea what direction it would take me, nor what type of success or lack there of it would have. I must admit, I'm pleasantly surprised at the result thus far. But it wasn't easy. Having a full time job and having a full time family are two things that…
Read more →September 14, 2010
Intel Inside the Classroom with the Classmate PC – a Tablet/Laptop for Kids
A few months ago, I had the pleasure of attending the Intel “Upgrade Your Life” Summit up at the Intel Campus in Oregon. During this day long event, the attendees got brief introductions to a variety of technologies that Intel has direct influence over or has been developing. But much of the meeting was focused on different initiatives that Intel…
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